Instrumental Metal Of Late

So I randomly started listening to Kurogane Lab's Lightning Mirage album a couple of days ago, and it slammed me flat. Since then, I've been listening to a number of great instrumental metal albums that I've acquired over the past few months, but never actually got around to listening to. There's an awful lot of shred metal floating around, but what about some of the less well-known stuff? Here's a little of what I've been spinning. It should be noted that these are all recent releases:

Kurogane Lab

Lightning Mirage

I'm no expert, but this seems to be very video game-inspired. It's fast-paced, extremely energetic and catchy, and straddles the line between shred and Japanese-styled power metal. Don't let the silly anime cover fool you. Like most stuff that Japan churns out, this album is serious business.

 Keith Merrow

Awaken the Stone King

I'm not at all familiar with Keith Merrow, but this is a terrific album full of big riffs, excellent soft interludes, and a great knack for songwriting. I'd describe this mostly as somewhat groovy technical progressive metal, and I see that Jeff Loomis has a guest appearance. In some ways, I'd say this is comparable to Loomis's solo album as well.

Paul Wardingham

Assimilate Regenerate



This album is just awesome. Paul Wardingham is an Australian session guitarist, instructor,  and producer that has seen fit to grace the metal world with an instrumental monster. Stylistically, this is fairly progressive, futuristic, and there are definite influences of melodic death metal at times as well. Quite heavy and intensely satisfying to listen to.

Scarlet Citadel

The Scarlet Citadel

I can find nothing about this album online other than it's available to download for a donation of your choice over at bandcamp. For what it's worth, I recommend it. This is mildly symphonic progressive metal that has some neo-classical, prog rock, and even power metal influences. A quality album, and I wish there was more info available about this.

If anyone else has any recommendations on quality instrumental recordings, recent or not, I'd love to hear about them. These are all quality albums that are at least somewhat obscure, and I want more of it!

Late Winter Updates

It's been a while since I've just talked about...whatever, rather than writing a review, so that's what I'll do tonight.

Readers have noticed a change in our banner and a slight realignment of the columns thanks to SpaceKev. A background change may be in the works as well. As the blog grows more popular, I'm trying to shine it up a bit and add more visual appeal. Along with SpaceKev's recent video interview of Holy Grail, we've added another label to those that we get promos from. These currently include: 7Hard Records, Lion Music, Pure Steel Records, and now the mighty Cruz del Sur.

We've had some great words with a number of bands that I've been in contact with, and I appreciate all the kind words and enthusiasm that everyone has expressed. This site has only  been around for about 4 months now, but we've been growing in popularity more than I would have thought possible. My hope with my reviews is always to provide an enthusiastic and insightful look at the metal that I enjoy, and I think that this has come across really well to numerous artists that I've spoken with.

Local shows are becoming a more important part of what we do here at Black Wind, and we will be posting some sort of material with every show. Last week, it was the Holy Grail interview, and this weekend it will be a concert review and (hopefully) pictures of the Finnish Metal Tour. We're looking forward to a number of shows coming up here in St. Paul and attempting to get some press coverage of them as well. I think that, while our coverage is only of a couple of venues in one metro area, that we can give you a good idea of the spirit and attitudes of the bands and shows that we cover. Hopefully you can expect the same in your city, wherever you are.

Lastly, I also want to direct your attention to the links that we have posted on the right hand side of the page. You'll notice the addition of the Web of Metal review archive (a database that Black Wind will soon be a part of), as well as Dagg's prog and metal emporium. I don't remember how I ran into this fellow, but he writes some fantastically detailed reviews, and I encourage all of you that love long, thoughtful analysis to visit his site.

That's all for now. As always, thank you for reading and keep in touch.

-The Protagonist

Okay, I am opening up the can of worms ...

Slipknot has been, are and will continue to be a metal band, despite what most of the scene would lead one on to believe otherwise; the purpose of this post, then? ... well, assuming a number of readers disagree, I'd like to open a respectable, intelligent discussion on the matter, and perhaps settle it once and for all (well, here at Black Wind, anyway).  I have provided five sound clips via Youtube below, showcasing the band's (what I consider to be) undeniable "metalness," and welcome any challengers.  Sure, their sound is undoubtedly modern, American and (at times) unorthodox, but that doesn't mean it isn't metal, that's for sure.

As for my tastes regarding Slipknot, well, I obviously like them a lot and think they're one of the most significant American metal bands around today; I feel each of their albums has doubled the quality of its predecessor, thus making their first, self-titled album my least favorite and their latest, All Hope Is Gone, my absolute favorite.  The band has showcased a substantial amount of growth from album to album (something I am quite akin to, as anyone who knows me will verify) throughout their career and I don't see that letting up anytime soon, assuming they continue after the unfortunate and sudden death of their bassist, Paul Gray.

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I mean, seriously, Underoath has a Metal Archives page but Slipknot doesn't? ... come on people, just because it's well-known doesn't mean it's no good or, at the very least, not metal!  Commence! :P

The Protagonist's Most Anticipated Albums of 2011

Another year, another round of fresh releases by our favorite bands. Metal music is one area of recreation and interest that never fails to disappoint me. If someone releases a poor album, it's just as likely that I'll discover 3 good releases by bands that I've never even heard of. It's nearly impossible to keep up on all the new music that's constantly coming out of nowhere, even when restricting yourself to one subgenre.

I just wanted to collect my thoughts on the releases that I personally will be jumping up and down for this year. Since they're already upon us, I'd better get going now rather than later, so here we go:

Power Quest- Blood Alliance

I've loved Power Quest since discovering them a couple of years ago. To date, my personal favorite release is their latest offering, Master of Illusion, and I'm sincerely hoping that they'll maintain their high caliber of songwriting and the great variety found on that album. However, I'm also approaching Blood Alliance with an open mind after the band's big lineup changes. This is going to sound at least  somewhat different with a new vocalist and guitarist, so be prepared!

Stratovarius- Elysium

Stratovarius have always been a fun and quality band (well, except for maybe at the end when Timo totally lost his marbles), and bounced back after their self-titled album with Polaris, which was nothing short of a miraculous recovery from a stellar and long-standing veteran of the genre. Therefore, I think that it's reasonable to hold the band to their own standard and hold high expectations for Elysium.

Theocracy

Theocracy have an album in the works, and I know that it is to be released mid-late 2011, but there's really little else to go on at this point. However, if Mirror of Souls is ANY indicator of quality at all, we're going to have another monstrously strong and melodic offering from this Christian metal powerhouse.

Dragonland

I don't know the title of this project either, though you can find the trailer on the band's MySpace page. The band claims that their new project is to be even more progressive, orchestral, and bombastic than ever before. That would be saying an awful lot, as anyone familiar with Dragonland should know. The last couple of efforts by Dragonland have been jaw-dropping, and it's about time they got around to releasing something new. :)

Nightwish

Nightwish have been posting updates on recording, etc. all summer and fall for the work on their next studio album. I'm hoping that the band will evolve a bit and mesh the sound of their music a bit better with the still new-feeling voice of Anette Olzon. Maybe writing slightly less poppy music would help? Ah well, I haven't been badly disappointed by Nightwish yet, and I don't think I will be this time around.

ReinXeed

I know nothing at all other than there's an album due to be released this year. Given the fairly underground status of this mostly one-man band, I guess the lack of news shouldn't be surprising. Hoping for a follow-up hot on the heels of this year's most excellent Majestic.

Avian- Midnight at the Tower

Avian is probably the biggest thing in the MN power metal scene right now, and for good reason. These guys put on a killer show and have some great musicians. I'm as excited for this album to be released just so I can be in on the local excitement. They may not have the mighty Lance King at the helm anymore, but replacement Brian Hollenbeck is no slouch!

Serenity- Death and Legacy

I don't know how I forgot about this one my first time around. I've been following Serenity since their first album, Words Untold and Dreams Unlived, and they've been pretty consistently good. I've heard some of the audio samples for this, their new album, and it sounds like they're right on track! Another one that I'll be pre-ordering a copy of as soon as possible. The artwork has perhaps gone the way of certain recent Heavenly albums, but the contents seems to be pretty solid.

Cloudscape- New Era

Cloudscape have announced the release of their fourth studio album, entitled New Era. I'm personally a fan of their unique and addictive brand of melodic progressive metal, so I've marked my calender.

Morifade- Empire of Souls

Set for a September 9 release (presumably in Europe), power metal veterans Morifade have been dormant since 2004's DomiNation. I've always appreciated this band's somewhat unique stance and performance of more intellectual power metal.

Crom- Of Love and Death

If you're not familiar with Crom, you should be. Imagine combining the gritty atmosphere and grim lyricism of some viking black metal with the melody, clean vocals, and majesty of power metal. Crom's debut album, Vengeance, is one of the finest folk-inspired metal albums that I've ever heard, and I have supremely high expectations for the new release


There are a few more, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the new releases by Crystallion, Sonata Arctica, Falconer, Paragon, and others as well, but these are the most exciting for myself. The trouble with this is, by year's end, there will be so many bands populating the "best of" list that I haven't even considered. So it goes!

Thoughts, Conjectures, etc.

Taking a break for a moment to yak, as I like to do every so often. It's the time of year we're all so wrapped up in shopping, school finals, holiday events, etc., and I'm no exception. Something that is exceptional is the difficulty I've been having getting back into Trans-Siberian Orchestra, normally my favorite Christmas music and experience. Perhaps it'll happen soon, who knows, but I had some trouble getting into Night Castle.

My busy schedule doesn't allow me to review and comment on so many new releases that are constantly arriving on my electronic doorstep, so I want to point a few out quick. The Instanzia album that I got swept up in was a brief obsession, and that came through. Most albums are not so lucky. Here's a list of others that I've been enjoying thoroughly lately, but may not necessarily be so lucky as to be chosen for review in the near future:

Delirion- Lotus (Really excellent symphonic power metal, so catchy!)
Silverlane- Above the Others (Just discovered this today, and it's pretty catchy and entertaining so far, though I've yet to hear the entire album)
Signum Regis- The Eyes of Power (respectable neo-classical power/prog)

Since the Blind Guardian Concert, I've also been on a bit of a BG kick, and have listened to about half of their discography in its entirety in the past week or so, including A Twist in the Myth, Imaginations from the Other Side, Nightfall in Middle-Earth, At the Edge of Time, and Battalions of Fear. There's been a discussion running around the forums at the Metal Crypt that started when someone asked for a rec on which Guardian album to check out next. Pretty soon of course, every album in their catalog was recommended twice. Is there any other band that has so many great albums and such a division amongst fans as to which is the greatest? None comes to mind.

I realize that I've really been on a melodic power metal kick lately (heck, when am I not?), but my everyday listening has been including a bit more folk/viking metal and melo-death lately. I should try to get around to a newer release in a different genre soon, just to spice things up a bit.

There's a Christmas concert this Friday evening that I'll be attending, and so another concert review will be forthcoming soon. There are seven local bands playing, and so it promises to be a fair amount of work. I'm also collaborating with a couple of the fine fellows from Dawn of Valor to work on a website to enchance the web presence of the local scene. Twin Cities metalheads rejoice!

Also hoping that Oakenson will return at some point soon. Our modest little blog continues to grow in terms of readers and popularity, but it's not the same without him around. In the meantime, thanks for the emails and occasional comments. Contact is encouraged, and feedback is humbly requested. A good evening to all of you, stay warm and merry this cold winter's eve.

-The Protagonist

Revelry on the Horizon

As we move into the winter season, I'm happy to welcome a greater number of readers to our blog. As I'm taking some time off of work this week to head home, posts may be sparse. On the other hand, maybe the lack of work and stuffing of my face will leave me stranded in front of a computer with naught else to do. In any case, here's what's tentatively on the menu for this week, some ideas I've been tossing around:

1. Review of Angra's "Temple of Shadows" per reader request.
2. Review of one or two new albums (any requests here? I'm momentarily out of new albums to review for The Metal Observer, and have some spare time)
3. An overview of the French power metal scene, something that's been on my mind lately. Doesn't seem to be a great amount, and I like to delve.

In Minnesota, we've had some nasty precipitation and bad roads (500+ accidents in the metro area last weekend), so I want to wish all would-be revelers in the United States and beyond this coming week(end) a safe drive and visit to families. If you're bored inside this weekend, explore! Read through our past posts and visit some of the other quality sites we've linked to!

A Brief Pause

Hail readers! (or what few of you there are so far),

I want to take a break from the typical posting to give you a more personal check-in, and to answer a few questions that we've had :)

1. Yes, Oakenson is not currently contributing to the blog. He's taking a break from it for a little while. Yes, I also know that my reviews are not as good as his, and he knows it too. Hoping he'll be back with us soon, until then you have to put up with me.

2. We've had a few requests for reviews, including Angra's "Temple of Shadows", Christopher Lee's new Charlemagne project, and the latest Symphorce album. My schedule is quite busy at present, and as much as I love the blog, it's a side project to what else is going on. Not that people are breaking down my proverbial door with these requests, but I am thrilled to have been asked and want to oblige. Balancing things like school, work, writing for a couple of different sites, etc. gets a bit hectic at times, and this site is a very fun recreational break from the rest of our lives. That being said, thanks for the communication and keep it up, we love hearing from you :)

3. Something that I've forgotten to mention is a radio show held on Wednesdays from 5-7pm Eastern time by a metal friend of mine from the Buffalo area of New York. Specializing in dark emotional metal (and whatever crap the college station makes him play) but taking open requests is Jake Brew with "The Cold Embrace" metal show. Check it out at the college radio's website, it streams easily in Windows Media Player, and Jake is a fun and knowledgeable host.

That's all that comes to mind for the time being. Thanks again for checking in. Good evening, and as my good friend would say, "Let the winds blow fairly upon you."

On "Bad" Bands

On my mind today is the Greek power metal band Minuetum. More specifically, how disappointing their first release was. Having reviewed the album today for The Metal Observer, I began to reflect on the worst power metal that I've heard since I began listening to the genre a few years back.

Minuetum didn't produce a bad album with their first release, but it's considerably weaker than most of what is out there. Perhaps it's just because I have an admittedly enormous soft spot for the genre, but I just couldn't bring myself to score the album that lowly, as it still had a few decent moments. I'm obligated to say however, that it's one of the poorest releases I've heard from the genre (though I haven't explored many a band, particularly those who aren't well known at all).

I am reminded of the album that I constantly quote as the worst power metal relase I've ever heard: Power Symphony's "Lightbringer". Man, that lady just can't stay in key, it's no wonder no one will sign them to release their other album. Is it harsh to say to a band "Hey, you're not bad, but if you got a GOOD singer, you could do pretty well!" How many bands would really just up and drop their lead vocalist in favor of someone with more talent, and if they did, would they really be the kind of band I'd want to listen to?

The alternative being, if they can't or won't, just telling them to quit. How can you tell anyone to stop making music, even if most people think it's bad? Especially in a genre like metal, where many bands don't make a dime and do it out of passion, people aren't expecting to strike it rich quick anyways. Chances are, they're doing it because they love it. I guess the answer is that we have to let them come to the realization on their own, and decide whether or not they want to go on trying to release music that nobody really likes.

Hmm. Anyways, here's a GOOD song from a GOOD power metal band. :)


Sabaton- 40:1

Heavenly: A Collection of Thoughts.

Better than you.

In response to a reader's request, I'm now going to rant about the premier French power metal band Heavenly.

First off, if you haven't heard this band, you should go and take care of that right now, because they've got some stellar work. From their first album, up to and including their admittedly watered-down recent release "Carpe Diem".

No, my beef here lately is with some idiot's review of what I and several others I know think of as the band's magnum opus, "Virus". This review (and a couple of others like it) is on the Metal Archives. Now I appreciate having no comments allowed, and no response-reviews allowed as well. The Metal Archives will take anyone's opinion on an album so long as it is reasonably-intelligently written (in terms of grammar, spelling, and coherent thoughts, at least), so there's some garbage there, and some people that clearly can't tell power metal from an Enya album.

...at least that's what some of these reviews have led me to think. I have several concerns about these "critics", and want to make a good name for Heavenly's "Virus" here and incite some conversation before I head over there and post my own review. Allow me to itemize the complaints made about the album and address them:

• Heavenly sounds too much like Gamma Ray and Helloween.

Really? Just how much of these two bands have you listened to? I'm not intimately acquainted with the entire catalog of either band, but I've got a few albums and enjoy them quite a bit. Let me tell you straight up, Heavenly sounds like Gamma-ween in that it's relatively high tempo, uses the same instrumentation, have similar song structures, and relatively high-register singers. Heavenly has different production, different timbres, entirely different vocals, and definitely a proggier neo-classical tinge to them.

• The choruses aren't catchy at all, and the album is poorer in this regard than Heavenly's previous releases.

Did you listen to the album, or just fast-forward it the whole time? Without even performing a formal analysis of the songs (I will do it, don't tempt me), I can tell you that the melody lines are more consistently structured on this album in a fashion that is pleasing to ears trained to western music (this album was, after all, a bit of a move towards the mainstream for the band), and the choruses are more frequently repeated. This is of course, rather subjective, but most people that I've had a conversation with about this album that are reasonably familiar with the band's other material and metal in general would agree pretty readily on this point.

• Lyrics are unintelligible.

Agreed, I don't know who does does their English lyrics, but they need help. There's also no excuse for Ben Sotto to still have such a shaky grasp on the English language. If you can't do it decently, sing it in your native language. I'm an ignorant American who wasn't required to learn a foreign language. I could sing more intelligently in your language than you can in mine, and English is the standard in metal.

• The album isn't original

I don't know, I could go either way on this one. Is there really much original power metal? Not so much. That being said, does this sound a lot like other power metal? Not really. Find me a band that has a vocalist that sounds like Ben Sotto and pulls off a super-fast, heavily percussive, neo-classical heavy album with dual guitars, and I might grant that to you. Right now, another band that meets all of those criteria doesn't come to mind. If they do, you'd probably still be able to tell the difference like night and day.

• The solos sound very juvenile

Oh I SEE! You go play them! There are some damn good solos on Virus. The title track probably being my favorite off the top of my head.

• The vocalist has no sense of dynamics

Do you know what that word means? This is METAL, it's LOUD.

• This album is just garbage

And your favorite power metal band is Skylark. Go listen to Power Symphony and let the adults listen to their music.

Ok, I think enough is enough. Please go listen to a couple of songs off of "Virus". Please comment and let me know if you agree on either end, because this album is getting a bad rap. Seriously, you'd think this was like "Eternal Empire" or something. Here's a few examples:

It is late, the skies are watching us ...

<3

Good night; more potency tomorrow, I promise.

The Truth Is Out There ...

... and/or is the truth here? Read this book; seriously, read it.
If you do, get back to me and let's talk about it.
:)

The other half speaks.

...aaaand I'm gonna keep writing mine the same way I always have (I am not so flexible). And J-rock? What's J-rock? This blogging thing is confusing already.

In all seriousness, however, I have high hopes for the quality of this blog in terms of variety, consistency of updates, and taste in music. In the months/years ahead, we'll be providing our own views and opinions on some of the world's melodic metal. Our opinions are just a drop in the bucket, and our site just one of hundreds like it, but it is my hope that we can connect with a few earnest readers. If we can do that, and you the reader appreciate following along with us and sharing in our discoveries and music, we will have achieved our goal fully and beyond a doubt. This project is a labor of love for both of us, as is our hobby of listening and critiquing music.

I have a feeling these posts may end up being re-written as a bio/welcome page. ;)

... and thus the gateway opens!

So, this isn't exactly a formal post or anything of that nature, however, I'd just like to say that I am honored to be part of a blog that will hopefully, in perhaps six months or a year, have a small little following; afterall, there's plenty of melodic metal maniacs out there, right? I've been listening to this sort of thing for over ten years and definitely have my preferences, however, despite what I'd like to consider to be at least a wee-little bit of knowledge about this glorious music, I do plan to keep my reviews relatively short, concise and perhaps even a bit entertaining, too (which, for me, is a bit of a challenge as I tend to be kind of long-winded and, well, not funny); you can all be the judge of that, right?

From power metal to melodic death metal to symphonic black metal to J-rock to maybe even a worthy metalcore title or two, expect some diversity and (mostly) good albums coming your way from yours truly; oh, yes, and I'll be sure to post audio/video samples of whatever I'm writing about too, so at least you'll then get a bit of a appetizer before you decide to pursue the recording further upon whichever medium is your preference.

Until we meet again, may the winds blow fair upon you all!

The Oaken Ritualist,
Andrew

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PS: Daniel, you're overwhelmingly kind; thanks again, brother!